Electric zinc-furnace with integral condenser.



J, THOMSON,

ELECTRIC zNG FURNAGE WITH HTEGRAL CONDBNSBR.

APPLICATION FILED JAH'. 1913,

L08-3,41 5 A Patented Feb. 10 19M.

2 SlSETS--SHEET 2,

To all 107mmy'it may concern PATENT oFF-ion.

.TonnTHoi/ison, or New Yuen, fz.

ELECTRIC ZINC-FURNACE wrrn in'rnerni. connnnsnn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1,0, 1.914.

Application filed January 2, 1913. Serial Elo. 735%,7SL

Be it known the-t I, Jol-IN Ti-Iosison, citizen of the United States, und u issident of the borough 4of Manhattan of the city of New York, in the countynnd Stute of New York, have inventedcertuin new and use-ful Improvements 'in Electric Zinc-Furnaces with Integral Condensers, of which the following' is e specification, reference being inode to the accompanying drawincs, forni# ing zt part hereof.

rThis invention relates to the metallurgy oizinc, having for its object the production oi' zinc unies by tlierincii-chemicnl reuction., und. then condensing the fume te liquid metal. l The particular means for attaining the desired results and such en elucid'ition of the general principles applicable J reto ns seeinnecessary for e. conipiete disclosire, will be concurrently pointed out in connection with the description of the ncconipany1 ing drawings, which represent certain pre ferredfernhodiments oi the invention.

Figure l is e transverse center sect-ion of the furnace, viewed either right or left, :is A, A1, of FigqQ. In this figure the lower or left hand portion illustrates one ,torni of construction, while the upper or right hand portion illustrates another form. Fig. 2 on the left hand side of itscenter line is 'vertical longitudinal section, as on either the line B or B1, while that portion on the right hund side of its center line is :i vertical lcngitudinal center section, as C or C1 of Fig. i. The class or kind of materiel particularly intended to be treated in this furnace (but it is not necearily restricted thereto) is igneous oxidlo zinc combined With carbon as the reagent, whereby when adequately heated 'substantially the following representative reaction ensues, namely:

If pure ZnO :ind C are used in precisely correct relative proportions, then the on swer of the rabove formula` is an exact exf pression of the result in that all of the rchargedl material would be-volatihzed as zincjume and monoxid of carbon, whence therewould be no residue, but such conditions do not obtain in commercial practice in that more or less of inert residual matter will remain, depending upon the purity ot the materials employed,l hence the formule` becomes as stated simplyjrepreaentativeiiioreoifer, the presence of residual metter n.. cause of diiiicuity in reoiiizing u success-r ful result.

4The heat necessary :tor decomposing' the charge is preferuhly derived from en electric current passed through :i hed oi' carbon i'esistoi", the charge beingplaced in direet contact ywith the upper uce thereof. Two o such resistors H, H1, are preferably employed, euch being interpolated between terminals 3, to which the current is conducted by copper electrodes, el, id, und the electriticution may he 'from seperate circuits or in the seine circuiteither in parallel or in series, according to circumstances. The resistors ere preferably placed in :1. troughlilie chamber n foi-ined of tuinpcd material with e sub-chamber or sump m helmet-h grate hars (i, i. on -whichf the resistors nrc supported. Those portions. cit' the tunincd chamber or casing honest-h and surroui 1 the sumps fire termed heurths. The ccndenser J is preferably disposed i'nidisey hetween the resistoirsalong the longitudinal center or" the furnace. It will he appui-ent that the condenser and either one of the resistors forni fin operative element or coinhinzition, regardless as to Whether the other resistor is operative or inoperative or whether it is in place or even removed. in

this system charge 1 atei-ir l is brought into 'direct Contact with the upper feces of the resistors, where. the Aprimary reaction takes place, sil the rolutilized piedncts thereof being; then causedto pass ',orc'ur ably directly down 'through the the grate-hor spaces ns 7, into the p chamber m, and thence through siffle onena ings er ports 8 ,lircctly int-o the receiving; chamber e the condenser. 'lf desired, however, n portion or even all of the guseous .mutter muy he caused to pass out ot the resistors sidewisc, indicated hy the port 9, Fig. l.

In previous przictice the charge ine." iul has been dumped upon the resistor in a considerable nii-.ss und depth, usuully contained in un open shaft, which hns rc ulted in severaldisadvantages, among whicA muy be Amentioned vthe following: lVhcn oxid ot zinc and particularly igneous or nearly Ypure Z is higl'ily'heuted, its electr' :el conductivity increased, and since the 'reducing agent (C) which mixed therewith is in itself ,an excellent electrical eoi'iductor,

considerable quantity of ,current is, so to Cri contact with Ithe speak, tshunted7 out of the resistor into the charge, thus causing a reduction of thermal intensity at the place where intensity is most desired, namely at and in the upper surtace oi? the resistor. The reaction is thus liable to proceed more actively in some localities than others, and consequently portions ot the resistor may become excessively heated and thus produce what is termed hot spots and also cause incrusted cavities which are gtrequeiitly formed. Under suc-h conditioiis fume and C() may become imprisoned and the entire tace ot' the resistor may become coated and impregnated with residual matter acting as a seal against the escape ot the volatilized products ot the reaction. rllhese objections areobviated by placing a series of refractory bars or slabs as 10 across the resistors, which are so set., as by means of spacing pieces 12, as to produce vertical slots or galleries 13. r1`he bars may conveniently upon the upper edges 14 of the resistor casings. The loyver surfaces or edges 15 ot' the bars mayf'ven rest upon or be in near faces of the resistors, but it is deemed preferableA to provide treev spaces as 16, the height of which will somewhat depend uponl the thickness of the hars. 'lhe charge material is Jfed into the'said vertica galleries 13. Thusthc reaction is confined 'to 'a series of transverse portionso't the resistor faces, each separated by other portions, which may be of equal or less or greater width and upon which no prima-ry reaction takes palace. The volatilized products are then very free to escape from the seats ot the primary reaction passing in op- "posite, directions toA the Jfree equalizing spaces beneath the bars iand thence downwardly into and through the resistor, as denoted by the [low arrows 17. Again, the residueis conh'ned to the portions of the vresistors immedia tely 'beneath the galleries, which may considerably accumulate without sensible interference with the transfer et heat to the. charge material contained in the said galleries. In this wise the resistors arein etcct subdivided into transverse. zones, one series being for the passage ot volatile matter and the other series being for the passage ot inert residue. If in the primary reaction any C()2 is formed it will be dissipated in its taverse *through the incandescent resistor by a secondary reaction. If the re-v sidual ash does not. percol'ate by gravity it can be poked down into and through the 'resistor as by means of pointed rods operated in the slots or galleries. The passage of residual matter is denoted by the flow arrows 18. The supply ofrcharge material upon the resistors -is a very simple matter, since by keeping each gallery about evenly filled a uniform rate of reaction ensues and a uniform delivery of energy from the ent-ire be supported.

inseam surfaces of the resistors is insured. The heat imparted to the bars is not entirely lost, `in fact a large proportion thereof is con ducted to the charge material, which hecomes progressively hotter as it' descends( ly using` lbars that are good non-conductors ot electricity the shunting of current i. the charge is eliminated, that is, to any det rimental extent. Moreover, the charge material in the galleries may be somewhat; tamped, compressing the Zn() and C; which is conducive to rapid reaction. This construction and arrangement is exceedingly convenient in that if, repair, renewal 'or substitution of the resistors becomes desirable' it is simply necessary to' remove the bars and thus expose the entire surfaces ot the resistors. The depth of the galleries should preferably be such .as to minimize heat by radiation from above, also to ettectively seal against escape of fume upwardly rfrom the sources ot reaction. p

Manifestlythe gaseous products delivered into the sump chamber m will be, so to speak, clean in that the temperature of the resistor carbon will necessarily be maintained sutiicicntly high to etl'ect a complete 1re-reaction upon -any oxidized zinc 'fume i and also a complete transmutation of any C(). to CO.

The ports 8 or Qthrough which the latilized products of the reaction pass to the comlenser are preferably formed so as to defiect`| the -tiows upwardly against` the tiles 2O which-serve as a cover. The incomingjets are thus caused to impinge upon each other and react in an upward direction upon a cooling surface, displacing the' contained fume and gas tromabove downwardlyas denoted by the flow arrows 21 'and to` subsequently thence pass through tht battery ot' c-.ioss-staclted and alternatelyv staggered cooling and diti'using rods 2Q and QL, In this condensing system the flow through each vertical series of sinuous openings. formed by the cross-stacked and staggered rods, continues uninterruptedly down and nach jet of residual iume or ot gas is thereby caused todirectly impinge upon the, zinc bath [let contained in the bot-tom oi the condensing chamberu ln the space-Q` above the bath right and left hand tlows are sct up as the gas proceeds to the end ports 2G, and as the fume condensed in the rod battery must also fall down through the many openings it. will be apparent that. a very complete intermingling and interruption of currents takes place which is conducive to condensation of a minimum oi zinc :fume contained in a maximum ot CO gas. Finally thet() passes from the ports 25, 2G into the. lnes or chambers T, T1, and thence to atmosphere through tubes QT, 2S. 'lhc reserve charge material P may be advantageously stored upon thc bricks above the condenser tiles.

lOl,

ai condenser7 seid condenser having therein" :i series of spaced cross-stzicked and elternutely staggered rods and :L beth of molten zinc, and constructed so that. the Zinc fumes from the reaction chamber of the furnace can passV through the spaces between the cross-stacked rods and iinpinge in its transit through the'conclenser ont-he bath of molten zinc. f A

13. In the metallurgyof zincfthe charg-f ing of the materiel so es to provide spaced vrows or piles of materiel supplying suilr` metallic -fumes 1n said conderiser.

l1. ln the metallurgy of Zinc the charging of reacting materials upon a resistor in :i nmnner to produce spaced rows, ridges or piles. electrically heating the resistor' to a temperature which will produce reaction, causing the volatilized products thereof to pass intoand through the resistor between the said rows, ridges or piles7 and thence to a suitable condenser.

15. In the metallurgy of zinc the feeding of a charge of substantially ZnO-l-C to the top of e resistor so that there will not be :t uniform charge over the top of the seid resistor', passing an electric current through szid resistor to producenJ reaction of the elements composing the charge and withdrttwing the'fumes from the zone of reaction and passing saidfumes through heated carbon and gradually' and progressively condensing the fumes.

This specification signed and witnessed c' this 31 day of December A. D. 1912.

i Jonnifsnorrson.

Signed in presence of- EDWIN A. PACKARD, D. HARQLD BUSH. 

